Did Nancy Guthrie Die or Is She Still Alive? Update to Case

The theories about what could have happened to Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie’s mom, are varied. It’s been over four months since her disappearance, and the case remains open, but no suspect has been identified, and no motive has been disclosed. All that’s known is that she was taken by a masked assailant sometime between the night of January 31 and the early hours of February 1.

But what happened to her? Jon Buehler, who has served as a law enforcement consultant since his stint at the Modesto Police Department, spoke with News Nation’s Brian Entin about the disappearance this week and made it clear he doesn’t think Guthrie is alive.

Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?

“The reason I’m fearful she didn’t survive the abduction is kind of twofold. No. 1, no instantaneous demand for a reward with indication that she’s fine and that they’ll release her. That’s a pretty big stretch there to think that she survived it,” he said.

“But the amount of blood that was present there in the front of the house suggests to me a wound that was bleeding a lot, probably not arterial, but bleeding a lot. And with poor health and age on a pacemaker in fear, and him trying to get her to comply, that’s why I just don’t think she survived it.”

There have been discussions over the past four months about whether Guthrie was abducted by just one person, or if multiple people participated. Buehler believes there was just one assailant. “But because of that reward thing that really sticks with me, that’s some pretty expensive loyalty to have for somebody else,” Buehler said. “People that have independent wealth are not doing crimes like this.”

The Guthrie family has been offering a $1 million reward for information, and the FBI $100,000.

Even if someone does have information, Buehler said it might take a while for them to come forward. “We had a random murder that went 11 years unsolved, and it was only because the one person that could give us the information was afraid to come forward, and it took 11 years for them to get over that fear,” he explained.

This comes after retired special agent Maureen O’Connell told NewNation’s Brian Entin there’s a big clue there that Nancy Guthrie probably didn’t walk out of her home. “I doubt that she walked out because there were no voids,” she said. “So, let’s say the pattern of the blood is concentrated here, but the sphere is this big, it’s round, you would have a void here from one foot or from another foot or from something,” she explained. “There don’t appear to be any voids.”

O’Connell said the most likely scenario is that she didn’t walk out by herself. “In my mind, she’s wrapped up in something and they’re carrying her out,” she said.

A forensic pathologist who examined the crime scene photos said she was likely bleeding when she was taken. “The nature of the blood spots with little pale centers or donut shapes is typical for drops that come from the nose or mouth, because they’re mixed with air,” Dr. Michael Baden explained to Fox News, per RadarOnline.

“These are not innocent droplets. From the shape, number of droplets, and the place of the droplets outside the house on the porch, they are entirely consistent and indicative of occurring during an abduction,” he added.